Entrepreneurs to pitch ideas to angel investors

Thirteen entrepreneurs from three states will pitch their business plans to an audience of angel investors and venture capitalists at this year’s Great Plains Capital Conference, which is Sept. 13 at the Wichita Marriott.

The field of presenters represents startup companies in high-tech and bioscience industries from Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

This year’s event also includes three entrepreneurs from Wichita. Ann Trechak of Elevated Health Systems is one of this year’s Wichita presenters. She started her company in 2009 but waited to develop the business further until after she was able to secure a couple of patents. Since then, Trechak said, “we’ve been busy building prototypes and getting this to market.” Her company is a developer, manufacturer and distributor of patented, automated germicidal technology that uses UVC light to sanitize spaces, such as in laboratories and health care facilities. She said the company has developed a way to use UVC light in a dosage and delivery method in a confined space that isn’t harmful to humans.

DigiPath is a company started by Wichitan Steve Barbee and Eric Stoppenhagen. The company is a diagnostic medical device company whose primary product is PathScope, a digital pathology slide imaging system. It converts pathology slides to computer files and visual images. Barbee said DigiPath operates in a $100 million market that is expected to grow to $15 billion within 10 years. He said the company has a nine-member medical advisory board that includes Dr. Ossama Tawfik, vice chairman of pathology at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City. DigiPath is also a small-cap public company whose stock is traded over the counter.

Alex Cavgalar and Rob Reif started Ulterius Technologies in 2011. Their startup company aims to provide a software, hardware and service system that will allow small to mid-sized businesses to operate communication systems – voice, video and data, for example – through a single system. That system is also intended to provide backup communications for the business user. Cavgalar and Reif said they also have plans to develop a similar hardware and software system for the home that will unify different entertainment services such as cable TV, broadband Internet and movie streaming services through a single piece of equipment that can be shared by a number of devices in the home.

Each competitor will have 12 minutes to pitch their company to investors.

About 75 angel investors and 10 venture capital and equity fund managers are expected to attend this year’s conference, said Trish Brasted, CEO of Wichita Technology Corp. WTC organizes the conference, whose major sponsors include the Kansas Department of Commerce, Polsinelli Shughart, 360 Ideas and WTC.